a merc drivers thumbs up to the superb

[sooty1444]

Took our friends out on saturday,he was speechless as to how good my 280 drove,said it was quieter,quicker(obviously) better paintwork,rattle free,real leather(fake on the merc) better stereo etc etc than his merc c class 350,that cost 11 grand more,but still said he wouldnt/couldnt have one because of it being a skoda,are these people mad,guess in some minds badge kudos are everything,potty!! Kevin.

[Nick_H]

Coops says we have fake leather though :-D

[SuperSuperb]

Some parts are supposedly real but most is fake afaik. Been the same on Skoda models for many many years.

[muddyboots]

It's clearly quite a good fake then

[vRS Carl]

I have a C350 CDI AMG that was nearly £50k with all the optional extras I've got. Prior to that I had 2 Octavia vRS (Mk2 saloon and MK2 FL Estate) and a MK2 2.0 Diesel L&K Estate.

I would agree on the leather if his was the standard Artico on his 350 (which is the fake leather so assuming that's what he had). However mine has the optional Nappa Leather so feels far better than most I've sat in. Very supple and comfortable and better in feel than the L&K.

Having been in the new Superb L&K (and i drove to the showroom in the Merc) i don't agree on quietness though. My C350 is one of the quietest cars I've been in within the class of car (including A4, Passat, 3 Series). So I can only surmise he has some overly noisy tyres on his. So over the same roads at the same speeds the C Class was quieter. Mine is an estate too and I drove a saloon. Speed wise then yes you would expect the superb to be quicker. Mine is tuned and will hit 62 in 5.7secs though and with over 500lbft it's no slouch. Especially for a near 2ton car.

Stereo as standard yes agree against Columbus. However mine has the Harmon/Kardon system and that wipes the floor even against the Canton. But then again the Merc uses fibre optic wiring so it should do. Sound is subjective to the individual though and what I like in a stereo others may not.

Navigation system - COMAND isn't very intuitive compared to Columbus. Has to be updated by a dealer too.

Linguatronic Voice Control is good when it works. But I've argued with it more than I have with the Mrs.

Better paintwork I'm not so sure on. I detail cars as a sideline as it's something I intend to do once I finish my current line of work. Skoda cars are easier to work with as they have intermediate paint. Modern Mercs have a ceramic clear coat which is extremely hard to detail and takes a lot of work. But if looked after they look very good.

7G Tronic isn't a patch on DSG. Probably my biggest gripe against my Octavia vRS and L&K (Both had DSG).

The other thing with Mercedes is the cost of things. My last service was £1100. The next one will be about £400 (£1k if I let them change the discs and pads!)

All in all though I love the C350 but I do miss the Skoda for the implementation of making the car and driver feel connected. I'm no badge snob that's for sure although i agree some people are.

Wether my car is worth the extra over the Skoda is debatable even by myself. I'd struggle to justify it. To anything other than a Merc Badge snob. But it is a better built and refined car than any of my Octavias. Also the superb. But not £11k better imho.

I have been looking at the new Superb Estate for when I change next year. At the moment it's a toss up between he S3 and an E350 both in estate version.

This was my last Octavia.

This is my current C350 and I think you'll agree the paint is good.

Beads nicely too

Edited 23 November, 2015 by vRS Carl

[Phil-E]

I find the Merc 7G tronic a little stuttery at lower speeds and sedate driving. Foot to the floor changes are great but doesn't seem as smooth as the 6 speed DSG. This was in an E350 CGI Cabriolet.

 

I once owned a Skoda with leather. The fronts were real leather but the bits on the sides and back of the seats were fake. That was a 1996 Skoda Felicia. So they've been doing the real/fake leather combo since then I assume.

 

Phil

[cnc]

Half a dozen of one, six of the other in my opinion 

 

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-3266132/Can-Skoda-s-new-Superb-Estate-steal-crown-form-luxurious-Mercedes-Benz-E-class.html

 

A lot comes down to personal preference and badge appeal, some people just cannot accept Skoda have moved on from what they were many years ago.

 

Personally I like driving around in my Skoda Superb, my wife currently has a BMW 320d and before that had an Octavia, she preferred the Octavia.

[Nick_H]

Merc looks lovely :-)

[sooty1444]

Agree,merc does look nice.the problem he has with the 350 is stone chips,really soft paint,perhaps because its black? Also,was the superb you drove a diesel? Mine being the 280 is a petrol and the differrence in cabin noise to the diesel is vast,though you pay for that in far greater fuel bills.my point was to sing the praises on the superb,as he done so,then say no way jose would i have one on my drive its a skoda is to me bonkers,and his not the first to say that to me.on the subject of seats,the leather,allthough agree not complete coverage,is different class to the octavia 111 leather i had on my previous car,and the bmw 5 series i had before that had leather that had never seen a cow!!

[vRS Carl]

The one I drove was a 2.0TSI Petrol.

Mine is a C350 Diesel which is why I was surprised it wasn't as quiet.

Paint is definitely not soft on Modern Mercs and is the polar opposite. Hence being so hard to detail. But mine has a couple of chips mainly on the lower front bumper.

Don't get me wrong I wasn't disputing what you said. I just wanted to put my point across having owned both Skoda and Mercedes (going from the former to the latter) and driven the new Superb.

As said I'm no Badge Snob hence the S3 being in my shortlist for when I change.

[Pesmog]

vRS Carl, make sure you test drive an E class before buying. I have been chauffeured around in them half a dozen times this year. They are not so popular with our professional drivers and I think that I agree with them. The E class seems to have lost  its sense of occasion that was once there when you travelled in them. In my experience some seem to suffer back seat road noise that is unacceptable in a car of that price and the ride isn't particularly luxurious either.

[glosrich]

That generation of C class has been out since 2007.

The Superb3 is a much more modern car.

I wouldn't want to have much money in an old C class, now the new model is out they will be loosing value pretty fast.

[vRS Carl]

That generation of C class has been out since 2007.

The Superb3 is a much more modern car.

I wouldn't want to have much money in an old C class, now the new model is out they will be loosing value pretty fast.

Correct the S3 is and mine is more akin to the S2

The S205 wasn't out when I bought the S204 though. Otherwise I'd have bought that instead.

Edited 29 November, 2015 by vRS Carl

[Phil-E]

The last C Class I was in was this style;

 

 

Estate too. I found it very cramped. In the front and the back. The head room was also poor and made it feels small inside. I am 6'7" mind but I have no such problems in the Octavia and can ride comfortbaly in the back too.

Edited 29 November, 2015 by Phil-E

[vRS Carl]

That's the S204 which is the same model line as mine.

The C is a bit smaller than the Octavia fully agree.

I'm 6'1 so have no issue with leg room etc. Also I don't tend to sit in the back as got 2 young children (3yrs and 8mths)

However I manage no issue with me, Mrs, 2 kids and 2 dogs (King Charles Spaniel and Cyprus Terrier so not exactly big dogs!)

The good thing I found was the roof bars and foot pack from the Octavia fit the S204. So at least I didn't need a new set of bars etc.

But I've only had to use the roofbox twice so far.

[silver1011]

vRS Carl, make sure you test drive an E class before buying. I have been chauffeured around in them half a dozen times this year. They are not so popular with our professional drivers and I think that I agree with them. The E class seems to have lost  its sense of occasion that was once there when you travelled in them. In my experience some seem to suffer back seat road noise that is unacceptable in a car of that price and the ride isn't particularly luxurious either.

 

Was thinking the same on Friday.

 

I was in the back of a brand new German E-Class on the way to the airport at motorway speeds and was thinking this isn't any quieter than my 2011 MkII Superb!

[RickTT]

Was thinking the same on Friday.

 

I was in the back of a brand new German E-Class on the way to the airport at motorway speeds and was thinking this isn't any quieter than my 2011 MkII Superb!

 

UK road surfaces are an element though...

[silver1011]

I thought German roads were as good as they get?

[RickTT]

I thought German roads were as good as they get?

 

I assumed the comment regarding road noise was witnessed in the UK as you said Motorway... ie..I find a lot of the UK roads are not great for road noise, prime example is the M1 (A1) concrete segment or worn sections of the M1. But also a key factor can be the tyre choice.

 

The road quality of most of the West EU are great compared to UK, i have always found tarmac sound transfer is less through France > Belgium > Germany on the E40 east than say the M1 / M25.

 

But.. once the stereo is cranked up into autobahn stormer mode it cant be heard anyway!

Edited 29 November, 2015 by RickTT

[silver1011]

Sorry, re-reading my post the 'German' was misplaced, looking like I was refering to the German manufactured E-Class.

 

It should have read 'in Germany'.

 

I was sat there on the German Autobahn and two things struck me...

 

1) Why the driver had chosen the ivory interior. The carpets were covered with mats but the rear door cards and grab handles were already looking grubby.

2) I was surprised how ordinary the road / wind noise was, I guess after 80,000 miles in my Superb I was expecting better in a brand new premium Mercedes.

[Didorx]

Totally agree with the comments regarding road noise on the new E Class.. and it's ride too.

Often get driven to/from airports and find them disappointingly cheap and tinny... It always crosses my mind because I once owned the previous shape E-Class... which felt solid and well built.

Edited 29 November, 2015 by Didorx

[thewinelake]

I get confused by what people are trying to achieve with regard to ride. Low profile tyres and low suspension seem all the rage for bling and Eco credentials. However, airmatic suspension in the Mercedes is supposed to be good.

[vRS Carl]

Airmatic is very very good and is the only thing I wish my car had (apart from a 6.2AMG Engine but the wife was having none of it :( )

The other thing is that MO spec tyres which are normally fitted to the car from the factory (although not always) are quite hard tyres and do generate a lot of noise. In comparison to the same non MO spec tyre. I.e Conti Sport Contact

I would also imagine that the E Class in Germany was on Winter Tyres as it is law out there for them to be fitted at certain times of the year (think it's Nov - Mar but don't quote me)

I changed mine from MO Spec Continentals to Dunlop RT and the noise difference was amazing in what was already a quiet car.

Don't get me wrong I am not knocking the Superb and as I said earlier i (as a Merc onwer) would be extremely hard pushed to justify the premium cost over the equivalent Superb. It was more an itch I had to scratch when I bought it. But I may come back to the S3 next year when i come to change the car.

Then again a had a play in an S Class at the weekend and that is in a different league to anything I've ever driven!

[Phil-E]

I'd say the comfiest Merc I've ever been in was an S class of this generation;

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Mercedes_s_klasse_1_sst2.jpg

 

An S500 to be exact. With all the gadgets.

 

Cruising down the Autobahn at 200kmh+ we were able to just have a normal conversation. Was very smooth and quiet.

 

Plus it never broke a sweat never needing to rev above 3000rpm... until the lane we were in was merging with a lorry up ahead when he stomped on the gas as we passed the lorry at about 230kmh!

[alextan]

Just a thought,

My Superb 2 (09) elegance, has the sound system wiring on fiber optics and a 10 channel amp fitted as standard, so I'm guessing the Canton runs on similar (better) and fiber aswell

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